Beyond the dichotomy between field and lab — the importance of studying cognition in context

Abstract

Animals are governed by their individual and species-specific predispositions, constrained by their natural and social environment, and influenced by their daily-life experiences. Drawing a broad comparative arc from domestic dogs and corvids to nonhuman primates, we illustrate the importance of looking beyond any presumed dichotomy between field and lab studies and of acknowledging that all animals’ cognition and behavior are influenced by the social context in which an individual finds itself, as well as the empirical context imposed by us researchers. We address the need for, and benefits of properly reporting the context(s) under which cognition is investigated. This allows making valid comparisons across populations and testing for the effect of varying contexts on how flexibly animals express their cognitive abilities.